207

2.2 VISCOSITY
Summary
The recommended values for the dynamic viscosity of liquid sodium in Pa#s are given
in Table 2.2-1. For the temperature range 371 to 2500 K, the natural logarithms of the dynamic
viscosity have been calculated from the equation recommended by Shpil'rain et al.: (1)

556.835
ln 
6.4406 0.3958 ln T  . (1)
T

The recommended value for the viscosity of sodium at the critical point, 5.8 x 10 -5 Pa#s, is the value
recommended by Bystrov et al.(2) for the critical temperature of 2503 K. It was calculated using the
method of Andrade(3) by Shpil'rain et al.(1)in their assessment of the methods to calculate the
viscosity at the critical point.
Figure 2.2-1 shows the recommended values for the viscosity of sodium with the
uncertainties as dashed lines. The uncertainties are given in Table 2.2-2.
Discussion
The recommended equation for the viscosity of liquid sodium is from the assessment by
Shpil'rain et al.(1) The measurements of the viscosity of liquid sodium(4-18) included in the assessment
are shown in Table 2.2-3. In their least squares fit to the data, Shpil'rain et al. excluded data from
the experiments by Sauerwald, by Gering and Sauerwald, by Godfrey, and by Achener because the
purity of the sodium used in these experiments was unknown and these data have greater scatter than
data from other experiments. The form of equation used to fit the data was based on the theory given
by Frenkel.(19) In their data assessment, Shpil'rain et al. checked the consistency of their
recommended equation as it approached the critical point with vapor viscosities from two sets of
calculations. They compared values for the viscosity at the critical temperature, 2503 K, calculated
using an Andrade equation, corresponding states, the free volume theory, and the average diameter.
Values ranged from 0.5 x 10-4 Pa#s to 0.99 x 10-4 Pa#s. In their review of properties of the alkali
metals, Bystrov et al.(2) recommended 0.58 x 10-4 Pa#s for the viscosity of sodium at the critical point.
This is the value obtained by Shpil'rain et al. using an Andrade equation of the form
 208

Table 2.2-1 Recommended Values for the Dynamic

Viscosity of Liquid Sodium

Temperature Viscosity x 104

(K) (Pa#s)
371 6.88
400 5.99
500 4.15
600 3.21
700 2.64
800 2.27
900 2.01
1000 1.81
1100 1.66
1200 1.53
1300 1.43
1400 1.35
1500 1.28
1600 1.22
1700 1.17
1800 1.12
1900 1.08
2000 1.04
2100 1.01
2200 0.98
2300 0.95
2400 0.92

MT

K , (2)
V 2/3

where , T, V, and M are, respectively, the critical viscosity, critical temperature, critical volume,
and molecular weight.
Fink and Leibowitz(20) fit data of Ewing et al.,(8-9) Chiong,(7) Godfrey,(10) Solov'ev,(11) and
Fomin and Shpil'rain(14) to an Andrade II equation,(3) which has the form
 209

Table 2.2-2 Estimated Uncertainty in Values for the Viscosity of Sodium

Calculated from Eq. (1)

Temperature Viscosity x 104 Pa#s 

(K) Uncertainty,

(%)

371  T  1500(a) 3-5

1500 < T  2000(b) 

exp 6.4406 0.3958 ln T  556.835 5 - 10
T
2000  T  2500(b) 10 - 12


(a)
(%)
2.3  0.0018 T



(b)
(%)
10  0.01 T


C
1

A e VT
V 3
. (3)

where A=0.11259, C=749.08, and V=1/'5 where '5 is the liquid density. They used a technique due
to Grosse(21) to extrapolate from the maximum temperature of these data (1300 K) to the critical
temperature. Viscosity values calculated by Fink and Leibowitz are compared with the
recommended values of Shpil'rain et al. in Fig. 2.2-2. The recommended value of the viscosity at
the critical temperature, 2503.7 K, is included in the figure. Deviations of values for the viscosity
calculated by Fink and Leibowitz from those given by the recommended equation are shown in Fig.
2.2-3. These deviations are defined as

(F L)  (Eq. 1) 100%

Deviations
. (4)
 (Eq. 1)
 210

Table 2.2-3 Sodium Viscosity Data Assessed by Shpil'rain et al.

Limiting Purity of
Temperature Confidence Sample Authors Year Ref.
(K) Error (Mass %)
(%)

373 ±25 & Sauerwald 1932 4

373 ±25 & 1932 5

373 - 456 ±25 & Gering, Sauerwald 1935 6

371 - 628 ±1.5 99.8 Chiong 1936 7

377 - 466 ±2 - 3 100.0 Ewing, Grand, Miller 1951 8

416 - 959 ±3 - 10 100.0 Ewing, Grand, Miller 1954 9

600 - 1152 ±15 & Godfry 1952 10

372 - 1075 ±3 99.7 Solov'ev, Novikov 1954 11, 12

1073 - 1773 ±10 & Kalakutskaya 1964 13

481 - 1060 ±3 99.5 Fomin, Shpil'rain 1965 14, 15

391 - 1313 ±10 - 20 & Achener 1967 16

373 - 673 ±3 99.974 Genrikh, Kaplun 1970 17, 18

The curvature exhibited by the deviations arises from the different functional forms used to represent
the viscosity in the two assessments. Within the range of experimental data fit by both groups, the
deviations are within 5%, which is less than the estimated uncertainty in some of the data, as
indicated in Table 2.2-3. Above 1300 K, the maximum deviation is 7.5%.
The equation derived by the assessment by Shpil'rain et al. is recommended rather than that
given by Fink and Leibowitz because it is based on an assessment of more experimental data, which
extend to a higher temperature (1774 K) than the data included in the Fink and Leibowitz
assessment. Some of the data that were included in the assessment by Shpil'rain et al., which were
not available to Fink and Leibowitz, have low estimated uncertainties. In their review of properties
of the alkali metals, Bystrov et al.(2) recommend the equation given by Shpil'rain et al.
 211

Uncertainty
The estimated uncertainty in the recommended values range from 3% at the melting point
to 5% at 1500 K and increases to 12% at 2500 K. The uncertainties are assumed to increase linearly
with temperature. Below 1500 K, the uncertainty is approximated by the linear equation


%
2.3  0.0018 T (5)


for 371 K  T  1500 K .

Above 1500 K, the uncertainty is approximated by


%
10.0  0.01 T (6)


for 1500 K  T  2500 K .

Uncertainties are shown as dotted lines in Fig. 2.2-1 and are given in Table 2.2-2.
 212

REFERENCES

1. E. Shpil'rain, K. A. Yakimovich, V. A. Fomin, S. N. Skovorodjko, and A. G. Mozgovoi,

Dynamic and Kinematic Viscosity of Liquid Alkali Metals, Chapter 7.3 in Handbook of
Thermodynamic and Transport Properties of Alkali Metals, R. W. Ohse, Editor,
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry, Blackwell Science Publications, Boston
(1985).

2. P. I. Bystrov, D. N. Kagan, G. A. Krechetova, and E. E. Shpilrain, Liquid-Metal Coolants for

Heat Pipes and Power Plants, ed, V. A. Kirillin, Hemisphere Pub. Corp., New York (1990).

3. E. N. da C. Andrade, Phil. Mag. 17, 698 (1934).

4. F. Sauerwald, Z. Anorg. Chem 209, 277 (1932).

5. F. Sauerwald, Z. Metallkunde 26, 259 (1934).

6. K. Gering and F. Sauerwald, Z. Anorg. Chem 223, 204 (1935).

7. Y. S. Chiong, Proc. Roy. Soc. A157, 264 (1936).

8. C. T. Ewing, J. A. Grand, and R. R. Miller, J. Amer. Chem. Soc. 73, 1168 (1951).

9. C. T. Ewing, J. A. Grand, and R. R. Miller, J. Phys. Chem. 58, 1086 (1954).

10. T. Godfrey as tabulated by G. W. Thomson and E. Garilis in Chapter 9 of Physical and

Thermodynamic Properties of Sodium, Its Manufacture, Properties, and Uses, M.
Sittig, Ed., ACS Monograph Series No. 133, Reinhold Pub. Corp. (1956).

11. I. I. Novikov, A. N. Solov'ev, E. M. Khapakhpasheva, V. A. Grudzev, A. I. Pridantsev, M.

Ya. Vasenina, Atomnaya Energiya 1 No. 4 92 (1956), (English translation J. Nuclear
Energy 4, 387 [1957]).

12. A. N. Solov'ev, Viscosity of Molten Alkali Metals, (Na, K, Li), Synopsis of Ph.D. thesis,
Engineering Physical Institute, Moscow (1954), as referenced by E. E. Shpil'rain et al. in Ref.
1 (1985).

13. N. A. Kalakutskaya, Teplofiz Vys. Temp. 6, 455 (1968); (English translation High Temp
6, 436 [1968]).

14. E. E. Shpil'rain, Y. A. Soldatenko, K. A. Yakimovich, V. A. Fomin, V. A. Savchenko, A. M.

Belova, D. N. Kagan, and F. I. Krainova, Teplofiz Vys. Temp. 3, 930 (1965); (English
translation High Temp. 3, 870 [1965]).
 213

15. V. A. Fomin, Viscosity of Liquid Alkali Metals, Synopsis of Ph.D. thesis, Engineering
Physical Institute, Moscow (1966), as referenced by E. E. Shpil'rain et al. in Ref. 1 (1985).

16. P. Y. Achener, Viscosity of Liquid Sodium and Lithium, AGN-8181 Vol. 5 Aerojet-General
Nucleonics Report (1965).

17. V. N. Genrikh, Experimental Investigation of Viscosity of Liquid Metals, Synopsis of Ph.D.

thesis, Novisibirsk: Institute of Thermophysicis, Siberian Department of the USSR Academy
of Sciences (1970), as referenced by E. E. Shpil'rain et al. in Ref. 1 (1985).

18. V. N. Genrikh and A. B. Kaplun, Investigation of Viscosity of Liquid Metals Close to

Solidification Temperature, in Investigations of Thermophysical Properties of
Substances, Novosibirsk, Nauka pp. 5-40 (1970), as referenced by E. E. Shpil'rain et al. in
Ref. 1 (1985).

19. Ya I. Frenkel, Statistical Physics Academy of Sciences Publ. Moscow-Leningrad (1948), as

referenced by E. E. Shpil'rain et al. in Ref. 1 (1985).

20. J. K. Fink and L. Leibowitz, Thermophysical Properties of Sodium, ANL-CEN-RSD-79-1,

Argonne National Laboratory Report (May 1979).

21. A. V. Grosse, Science 14, 1438 (1965).

 8.0

7.0

6.0
Viscosity x 10000, Pa s

5.0

4.0

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600
Temperature, K

Fig. 2.2-1 Viscosity of Liquid Sodium

 8.0

7.0

6.0
Viscosity x 10000, Pa s

5.0
Shpil'rain (Recommended)
Fink & Leibowitz
4.0
Critical Point

3.0

2.0

1.0

0.0
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600
Temperature, K
Fig. 2.2-2 Comparison of the Recommended Values for the Viscosity of Liquid Sodium with Values from
Fink and Leibowitz
 10.0

8.0

6.0
Viscosity Deviation , %

4.0

2.0

0.0

-2.0
200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 2000 2200 2400 2600
Temperature, K
Fig. 2.2-3 Deviations of Values given by Fink and Leibowitz from Recommended Values of the Viscosity
of Liquid Sodium